Event Participation

[+Deepdiggingmole]

With regards to events - does there have to be attendees other than the host in order for the event to be classified as one. 
If an event is ONLY attended by the host is it really an 'event' or 'meet' 

 

I appreciate some replies will say "if an event is published and no one turns up, that is not the fault of the host" and I understand that - but much like a Mega has to have 500+ attendees doesn't an event have to have at least one other person (in addition to the host) in attendance ? 

 

 

[RuideAlmeida]

4 minutes ago, Deepdiggingmole said:

... but much like a Mega has to have 500+ attendees...

 

Even with much less... will still be an Event.

I guess it answers your question.

[+Deepdiggingmole]

12 minutes ago, RuideAlmeida said:

 

Even with much less... will still be an Event.

I guess it answers your question.

No, a Mega has to have 500 Attendees to be allowed that status - if it has 350 attendees that makes it an 'event' - that doesn't answer my question at all !

[+Isonzo Karst]

I'm not sure how the host is supposed to know what will happen at least 2 weeks into the future?  

Some events will have low turnout.  A few will have only the host. 

 

I see host only attending more now than in the past in tourist destinations in south Florida.  The host  (vacationing) expects someone else to be there.  In the Florida Keys and Miami beaches,  a few years ago,  either a local or another tourist probably would be there.  Now, sometimes only the host attends.

 

The site may limit placing events during travel,  see this Help Center article on that LINKY

 

 

[RuideAlmeida]

2 minutes ago, Deepdiggingmole said:

that doesn't answer my question at all !

 

Kinda... Events with attendees limitation are Mega and Giga... the rest don't have it. Simple.

[+Touchstone]

1 hour ago, Deepdiggingmole said:

...does there have to be attendees other than the host in order for the event to be classified as one. 

Nothing in the Guidelines or the Help Center supports this notion.  Is there more to this story, other than academic curiosity?

 

[+hal-an-tow]

 If a cache is published and no one finds it,  is it necessarily the fault of the setter ? Is the cache therefore not a cache ?

A cache (of any kind) or an event is an opportunity, people may, or may not, choose to take that opportunity.

If they choose not to take the opportunity, so what ? It existed for them.

 

I can't help but wonder if some agenda is behind your question.

[+thebruce0]

The only place I see this going is the 'vacation event' sort of strategy. Going somewhere you have no idea if there are other geocachers, and publishing an event without any expectation of others to show up, intending that you'll be the only one to 'attend', in order to earn a find and/or souvenir in a new region/country.

Technically, it's not disallowed. But is that in the spirit of geocaching?  *shrug*  In past discussions I've said I don't see a reason why it shouldn't be allowed because you never know who might show up. As long as the host is there for the duration of the event, then whatever. As a geocacher, the intent of the event is paramount, and IMO it kind of cheapens a new region 'find' by hosting only a basic event in order to achieve it.

[+IceColdUK]

2 hours ago, Deepdiggingmole said:

No, a Mega has to have 500 Attendees to be allowed that status - if it has 350 attendees that makes it an 'event' - that doesn't answer my question at all !

Maybe off topic (sorry), but Mega status is awarded to an event based on Will Attends (as a prediction of likely Attendees).  What if it doesn’t reach the 500 mark?  Would it be downgraded?

[+Isonzo Karst]

Mega Event Help Center article LINKY

If the event is given Mega status in usual well in advance down to 4 weeks prior time frame, and then fails to "go mega", I'd expect the Mega status to remain for that year.  It might well impact  the next year's application.

I've seen this Florida, where a late season hurricane kept attendance to a recurring Mega very low. Mega status stayed, and it was given Mega for the following year, based I suppose on the expectation that there wouldn't be a second hurricane on that weekend (there wasn't, but attendance never really recovered, and the event is no longer mega).

[+Deepdiggingmole]

 

22 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

The only place I see this going is the 'vacation event' sort of strategy. Going somewhere you have no idea if there are other geocachers, and publishing an event without any expectation of others to show up, intending that you'll be the only one to 'attend', in order to earn a find and/or souvenir in a new region/country.

Technically, it's not disallowed. But is that in the spirit of geocaching?  *shrug*  In past discussions I've said I don't see a reason why it shouldn't be allowed because you never know who might show up. As long as the host is there for the duration of the event, then whatever. As a geocacher, the intent of the event is paramount, and IMO it kind of cheapens a new region 'find' by hosting only a basic event in order to achieve it.

 

Yup - this is a vacation sort of thing - if I hold one and end up being the only one going can it still stand - seems the majority say, no problem. I just hope others turn up ;-) 

Edited January 15, 2020 by Deepdiggingmole

[+Deepdiggingmole]

22 hours ago, hal-an-tow said:

I can't help but wonder if some agenda is behind your question.

 

What a suspicious mind you have 

[+Deepdiggingmole]

23 hours ago, Touchstone said:

Nothing in the Guidelines or the Help Center supports this notion.  Is there more to this story, other than academic curiosity?

 

 

Thanks I did wonder if I missed anything anywhere - oh! another suspicious mind   -  nope just idle curiosity

[+Isonzo Karst]

Well, the guideline for events defines it as " a gathering of geocachers, focusing on the social aspect of geocaching ". It's this phrase that gives backing to the potential for restriction on vacation events,   LINKY

 

Mostly though, the hosts hopes someone shows up, and quite often someone does.  Occasionally, fail. 

 

 

[+CAVinoGal]

On 1/14/2020 at 6:39 AM, thebruce0 said:

The only place I see this going is the 'vacation event' sort of strategy. Going somewhere you have no idea if there are other geocachers, and publishing an event without any expectation of others to show up, intending that you'll be the only one to 'attend', in order to earn a find and/or souvenir in a new region/country.

 

Whether I expect anyone to show up or not, if my only intention is to earn a souvenir for a new region or country, I wouldn't feel right about that. If I am creating the event in hopes of meeting other geocachers, and it's not the only geocaching I am doing while in the new location, I'm OK with that (for me; YMMV)  If there are no caches that I can go for in that location due to time or distance constraints, I would NOT create an event just to get a "FIND".  The guidelines don't prohibit it, it seems, but it wouldn't work for ME.

 

Before hubby and I embarked on this hobby, we traveled to Orlando with our son and now daughter in law (and other family) and spent the night in a hotel there before being bussed to the terminal to catch our Caribbean cruise ship.  They had created an event for early morning to meet other geocachers and give them a find in Florida.  People showed up!   They had a nice gathering of half a dozen local cachers and were pleasantly surprised at the turnout!  They also found a couple of caches around the hotel before we had to catch the bus.

[+IceColdUK]

5 hours ago, Deepdiggingmole said:

 

 

Yup - this is a vacation sort of thing - if I hold one and end up being the only one going can it still stand - seems the majority say, no problem. I just hope others turn up ;-) 

This topic tends to illicit quite strong reactions on the forum.  (Nothing strange there!)

 

I’ve held a few vacation meets.  Attendance has been hit and miss, but only one failed to attract anybody outside the family.  (In this case, the family meant 9 attendees and 8 logs, so it was actually better attended than some of my others!)

 

I feel that so long as you’ve chosen a reasonably accessible location and picked a sensible time for your event, then you shouldn’t feel too guilty about logging it if no one else showed up.  (The only guarantee that no one will show up is by not holding an event.)

 

I do think it’s worth reaching out to the locals (assuming there are some) to ask for advice (on location, etc.) and hopefully to drum up some support.  I’ve also joined local Geocaching FB groups to plug events.

[+bflentje]

On 1/14/2020 at 8:11 AM, hal-an-tow said:

I can't help but wonder if some agenda is behind your question.

 

Good grief. So what.